Extrinsic Proofs

In chapter eight of Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students the focus of the chapter was on extrinsic proofs. It was first explained that Aristotle had divided proofs into two categories: intrinsic, meaning invented by the rhetor, and extrinsic, meaning found in rhetorical situations. The bases of a extrinsic proof was further explained as the chapter continued. Extrinsic proofs are classified as laws, rumors, maxims, documents, oaths and testimonies of authorities or witnesses. The ancient rhetor Quintilian believed extrinsic proofs are “situated”, which Cicero believed all extrinsic proofs rely chiefly on the authority granted by the community to those who make them. All ancient rhetor’s however had concerns on the reliability of extrinsic proofs. This was mainly focused on written documents. The issue with the reliability of written documents for ancient rhetor’s was that it was not always clear who the author was. Also a written document is central to cultures definitions. This distrust of the written document made ancient rhetor’s find evidence primarily in testimonies, which was categorized in to two types: community authorities and proximate authorities. Community authorities are those whose words or actions have earned them respect within a given community; or in other words an expert on a certain subject. Proximate authorities are those who statements are considered reliable because the person was physically present for the event. The reliability of the proximate authority is not about the persons wisdom the way community authorities is, but about their presence to the event. Therefore the proximate authority witness must pass four tests to determine the worth of their testimony. The first test is to note if the witness is in a position to observe the events in question. The second is to inspect the conditions such that the witness can adequately perceive the event. The third is to examine the witness state of mind, making sure the witness it conducive to accurate observation and reporting. The final test is to understand that the testimony offered by the proximate witness is more valuable than evidence offered by someone who was not present at the event. Along with using testimonies as evidence for extrinsic proofs, data, thesis and laws can also be used, but the information collected from these categories of evidence must be examined closely for their reliability. Overall ancient rhetor’s believed that extrinsic proofs were situated to a argument or event. They believed in many forms of evidence of extrinsic proofs that are still used today by modern rhetor’s.